LTTE refuses idea of humanitarian NFZ - Hindu

"Facing annihilation, they [the LTTE] have had no
moral compunction in moving into the NFZ with heavy weapons, and using
the hard-pressed civilians as a last-ditch shield. Refusing to
acknowledge the very idea of a humanitarian NFZ, they have made it clear
that the lives and welfare of Tamils, whose sole representative the LTTE
claims to be, just do not count in this horrible travesty of a
liberation struggle," states the Hindu in an editorial comment on the
decision of the Sri Lanka Government to restrict the Security Forces to
defensive operations during the Sinhala & Tamil New Year period,
beginning April 13.

The Hindu of April 14, states: "There can be no other
explanation for this refusal to heed international humanitarian appeals.
The 65,000 Tamils who have escaped to government-controlled areas since
November 2008 give the lie to the LTTE's claim that the Tamil people are
staying with it voluntarily."

The editorial adds that as, "Mr. Ban wanted, it means
stepping up the international pressure on the LTTE and giving it no
choice but to allow civilians "wishing to leave the conflict zone... to
do so without hindrance." That is the real solution to the humanitarian
crisis. It will inevitably mean the final defeat of, or surrender by,
the LTTE leaders."

Full text of the Hindu editorial titled
'Humanitarian pause'.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's directive to the Sri
Lankan armed forces to observe a 48-hour pause in their victorious
offensive operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam may be
"less than the full humanitarian pause of several days" pressed for by
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon but it will be greeted with relief
worldwide. Coinciding with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, this
concession from a position of total military dominance is aimed at
securing safe passage for an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 civilians.

The plain truth is that they are held hostage by the
LTTE in a 17 square kilometre sliver of coastal land in the North that
has been demarcated by the government as a No Fire Zone (NFZ). The
Tigers have lost no less than 15,000 square km of territory that was in
their military control when the current war began in August 2006. As
Velupillai Prabakaran's dream of winning 'Tamil Eelam' through armed
struggle turned into a nightmare for Tamils trapped or displaced from
their homes in the conflict zone, he and the remnants of his
battle-hardened cadre have had nowhere to turn. Facing annihilation,
they have had no moral compunction in moving into the NFZ with heavy
weapons, and using the hard-pressed civilians as a last-ditch shield.
Refusing to acknowledge the very idea of a humanitarian NFZ, they have
made it clear that the lives and welfare of Tamils, whose sole
representative the LTTE claims to be, just do not count in this horrible
travesty of a liberation struggle.

There can be no other explanation for this refusal to
heed international humanitarian appeals. The 65,000 Tamils who have
escaped to government-controlled areas since November 2008 give the lie
to the LTTE's claim that the Tamil people are staying with it
voluntarily.

Mr. Ban Ki-moon has struck the right note at the right
time by calling on "key members of the international community" to
support this pause and do all they can "to avert further death and
suffering in Sri Lanka." It should not be too difficult to persuade the
Sri Lankan government to extend the pause to the "several days" Mr. Ban
wanted if it means stepping up the international pressure on the LTTE
and giving it no choice but to allow civilians "wishing to leave the
conflict zone... to do so without hindrance."

That is the real solution to the humanitarian crisis.
It will inevitably mean the final defeat of, or surrender by, the LTTE
leaders. Sri Lanka's Tamils certainly have longstanding grievances. The
Tamil question can be resolved only through their winning equal rights
and genuine devolution of power along federal lines in their areas of
historical habitation. But what the world needs to be clear about is
that the LTTE, far from being an effective instrument of a just
political struggle, has been the biggest obstacle in the way of Tamils
winning their demands within a united Sri Lanka.